


The Lie in the Secret

by Aaravosa (Lokiiwood)



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-15 19:31:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18676024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lokiiwood/pseuds/Aaravosa
Summary: Detective Viren hates it all - his job, his life, and that damn, annoying private investigator in his crime scenes.Except maybe his job is fine and it's the people, maybe his life isn't even his, and maybe that investigator just wants to be friends.Or not.





	The Lie in the Secret

**Author's Note:**

> Shoutout to Virst squad.

“Didn’t Harrow tell you we had this under control?”

The yawning, hazel lights of sunrise barely grazed the silky, black robe the intruder shrouded himself in. Viren hated him, he was sure. Private Investigator Elarion, or as he liked to call “Elannoying,” had slithered up to the crime scene with an intrigued smile on his face that should warrant jail time. But he ignored Viren’s comment and tipped his hat to him in his usual polite greeting. Elarion’s eyes finally left the disfigured body sprawled at their feet, a recently deceased elf girl whose tears were still wet, and met his. Viren frowned deeper, darting his gaze away from those intrusive, golden eyes and straightening his shoulders.

The six officers around were eerily quiet, probably bothered they had to investigate a murder this early by the chilly riverside and disturbed by how young the victim was. Not that their surprise lasted long these days when murder was just another Thursday.

“Elarion?” Viren sighed as the private bent down, edging his face close to hers. Disgusting.

“I didn’t pick up the phone,” he hummed.

“Are you admitting you ignored the head of the local police department’s call? After he even gave the courtesy at all?”

Elarion backed away from the girl, resting on his legs as he smiled up at Viren. A well enough answer for an infuriating pest with the social skills of his limping left leg. As he raised his hat, Viren flinched. Elarion flicked away the shadows draping him, revealing that his starry freckles still sparkled with any tint of light. Sometimes he forgot that Elarion was a Startouch elf because of how he dressed, but looking at him now it felt impossible.

“I heard you have a suspect?” he called to him.

“An underground Moonshadow elf,” Viren murmured. Elarion slipped out a glove from his vest pocket and touched a careful finger to the girl's face, not quite touching her tears but ghosting near.

A strangely intimate scene for something so gruesome.

“This one is underground Moonshadow too.”

“How do you know?”

“She’s wearing nicely crafted makeup, probably covering markings. Based on her injuries the death was slow and painful, yet she only cried lightly as she was drawing her last. It’s not something a normal girl would be able to do.”

“Well you’re just assuming she wasn’t in shock. We don’t need speculation, that much we can figure out.”

“And the makeup?”

Elarion never lost his confident smile around him. Viren groaned.

“Fine, go ahead. Just don’t touch too much.”

He chuckled, ghosting his hand over her face. “You have the authority to grant me such permission? My, my, moving up in the world.”

“Don’t mock me. Of course as a state-sanctioned investigator I have more trust than a private business with questionable credentials.”

“I intend to earn your trust,” Elarion hummed, pushing his finger into the girl’s cheek finally and running down.

And just like that, a hint of purple was revealed under a fine layer of...makeup. Right again.

“I have to make a phone call.”

Viren picked up the phone and dialed straight for Harrow. Children in the underground? There were several recent (and unsolved) incidents of kidnappings occurring throughout the city. They’d been looking for men, no one had even considered the implications of _children_ being used in the underground. What a shitty job. Damn. Damn.

It was a brief conversation that left Viren feeling like he’d accomplished even less.

“Are you on your way to questioning the Moonshadow suspect?”

Viren nearly dropped his phone.

“Don’t sneak up on an armed man,” Viren hissed. He wanted to ask why he was still there when he typically disappeared after making his cryptid statements, but Viren was too focused on how _close_ he was.

“Too close.”

Elarion smiled and circled around him, holding out his arms. “Better?”

“No.”

He laughed again.

“Anyway, yes, that’s where I’m going. Harrow... _Chief_ Harrow would like us both for questioning.”

“How curious.”

“You don’t sound very surprised.”

Elarion shrugged and began slithering back the way he came, hands in his pockets and chasing the sun. “I’ll meet you there.”

Viren didn’t answer as he watched him climb aboard his motorcycle, eyes hidden but damning smile glistening as always.

Annoying.

Despite leaving before him, Elarion was late. Why did Harrow even request him? Viren bit away his frustration, pacing in front of the holding room before telling Officer Corvus he was going in alone.

The elf sat at the table, hands chained in front of him and a missing horn looking like it needed to be sawed down lest it crack into his skull. Ouch. Upon Viren entering, he slowly looked up. His bruised face and the cuts near his eye was eerily similar to the girl. It fueled his resolve. Viren didn’t care much for these gentrifying elves these days and he detested the underground. But as a father, child exploitation was a soft spot.

Unforgivable. But he needed to be fair - for now, at least.

“They told me to call you Runaan?”

Viren shut the door behind him and sunk into the chair across the table, resting his cane against the leg. Runaan didn’t answer, peering over him and then looking under the table and staring at his cane.

“What is it?”

“Dark magic.”

And there was the anger. Viren sighed, he hadn’t even said anything yet, but he’d already incurred the wrath of the suspect.

“What about dark magic? I dabble in it, yes, it’s handy for investigations.”

Runaan growled, slamming his fists on the table. “Dark magic is evil, yet you call yourself a police officer.”

“Detective, actually,” Viren hummed, raising an eyebrow. “Now why were you at the river this morning?”

The elf wanted to wrangle his head off, too busy seething in his seat to respond. Viren didn’t have time for this. He could show him the uses of dark magic if he felt _so_ strongly about it.

“Fine. Then I’ll use that dark magic you hate so much.”

Runaan pulled his arms off the table and stared ahead at him. “What will you do? You can’t hurt me without proof of misdeeds, it is your way.”

“Oh I don’t intend to hurt you - yet,” Viren smiled, standing and grabbing his cane. “I simply know an easy method of interrogation.”

Viren began the chant, beginning to point the cane at Runaan who slowly stood on his feet. A truth spell, nothing much. He’d done it so many times it was like breathing.

But never had a suspect kicked a table at him. The cane flew into the air as Viren fell back. Definitely underground - but that strength? Elite. Fear pricked in the back of his mind. Runaan’s hands were chained, he didn’t need to worry - oh, yes, he did.

Assassin.

Runaan jumped high - over the table, over Viren himself - landing his legs around his shoulders and twisting both their bodies to slam into the ground. The assassin slammed his chained fists onto Viren’s head so hard it spun and now he was unsure if he blacked out or if his brain was trying to peel itself off the floor.

“Guards!”

It was the last thing he could say before Runaan’s chain looped under his neck, yanking his head back and stretching him in a way he hadn’t tried in the last two decades.

He might die here. Viren was trapped underneath Runaan’s bodyweight and couldn’t breathe. The door behind them slammed open and the weight was lifted off his back but not his throat. The tackled Runaan still held onto Viren, pulling him along.

The cane! He wheezed as he flailed to grab it, striking it behind him at Runaan who swiftly dodged by spinning on the floor - with him. Runaan’s heel stomped down on it, breaking it in two. Viren felt whatever color was left on his face drain away. His special cane, the most expensive and valuable thing he owned gone in an instant. Purple mist from the jewel encrusted in its spine hissed and cracked.

And yet still Viren reached for it, trying to save something - anything at all. Runaan’s foot came crashing down on his hand and Viren opened his mouth in a silent scream from both the pain and the jewel being crushed even further.

It coated around his hand and he felt himself go limp.

From oxygen or his regrets he didn’t know.

What a shitty job.

When Viren awoke, he didn’t feel relief. A bright overhead light snowed white all around him, meant to be comforting but just a reminder he was neither dead nor alive, only in pain. Why was his potentially last thought about how much he hated his job? He didn’t actually hate his job, did he? And if he did, did he hate it that much that it took his final moment away instead of, say, his children or…

He sighed.

“Better?”

If he could scream he would’ve. Viren’s hand massaged his throat as he turned to see Elarion sitting in the corner of a room. With a hoarse voice he spoke.

“Where...where are we?”

“A quiet, private hospital room.”

“Katolis Hospital?”

“It was the closest.”

Wait.

Viren was already shaking his head and trying to formulate a response that wasn’t laced with venom before Elarion answered him.

“I felt it was my fault, so I volunteered to wait for you to wake up,” he explained.

His words felt heavy - wrong.

Viren blinked at him. What the hell was wrong with him?

“Repeat that, please,” he muttered, clutching the hospital sheets around him.

“I felt it was my fault,” Elarion repeated. “Your injury, so I came.”

“That’s a lie…”

The memories of his broken cane came back in full force, along with Runaan being tugged off of him. Was it his spell? It wasn’t supposed to be like this, he didn’t _know_ it could be like this.

“A lie?” Elarion asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Tell me the sky is pink.”

“It’s purple, actually.”

Heavy.

“Now tell me it’s blue.”

Elarion slowly stood, folding his arms and making his way over to Viren. “Are you quite alright? I can call for the nurse.”

“Please just do it.”

“The sky is blue.”

Light.

What in the heavens was this? He could tell when someone was lying? But the original spell was supposed to focus specifically on the user saying only the truth.

Viren tried again, using his example again. “The sky is blue. The sky is p...p…”

He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t lie.

“...Dark magic?”

Elarion removed his hat and peered down at him, long hair falling close to his chest.

“Tell me the real reason you’re here. I can tell when you’re lying now.”

The man grinned, raising an eyebrow. He clearly didn't believe him yet.

“Intriguing. For how long?”

Viren pressed his lips together. “You snake, I’m not entertaining you now _tell_ me.”

Elarion’s careful smile faltered for a moment as he peered down at him. “I didn’t feel it was my fault, but I was worried about your health.”

Truth.

“Oh…”

Viren would never have believed him without this spell settled in his skin. Now he was merely confused. He’d never treated Elarion with anything but contempt, but he was genuinely worried about his well-being? Perhaps he should reconsider his position.

“Thank you, Elarion,” he coughed.

“No problem. Here, I’ll ring the nurse for you.”

“Alright.”

Elarion could’ve walked around the bedside, but he merely reached over his body to press the buzzer, letting his long, snowy hair tickle his nose before he pulled away. Still annoying - and smelling strangely of caramel.

“How long have I been here?”

The other detective brushed a finger over his forehead.

“Just a few hours.”

“Why are you touching me?”

“Oh dear,” he tutted, “You're flushed, Viren.”

“I am?”

Elarion nodded and then pulled his hand away to put his hat back on as the presumed nurse knocked on the door.

An older woman entered with a smile, looking directly to him.

“Detective Viren? How are you feeling?”

“Oh, quite alright I suppose. After your checkup I'd like to request a release as soon as possible.”

She chuckled and began to head his way, patting Elarion on the shoulder. “Of course. Did you know this gentleman has made my job so easy today? I'm glad the local detectives get along so well.”

Viren looked towards Elarion, who only had a wink for him. Great. He intended to ruin his reputation in some elaborate scheme.

“Fasc...fasc…” He couldn’t say it. He couldn’t, even sarcastically, say he found the tidbit fascinating. This could be tricky.

She busied to him and checked around his head. “Is speaking difficult?”

“No.”

“Mm…”

Viren calmly let her put pressure on his head and check his bruises from Runaan’s attack, eyeing Elarion who sat back down and thumbed through his phone. The image of relaxation and confidence. The elf was annoying, yes, but he _did_ look after him.

He could be nice. He’d attempt, he decided. Viren didn’t really want any friends and certainly didn’t want to mix his work life - Harrow was proof enough of how awful an idea that was - but having allies couldn’t be all that bad. Elarion had helped out on cases many times, sometimes even without pay. Perhaps he could be trusted - in a very liberal sense of the word - if they got to know each other just a little better.

Yes. He’d try.

The nurse exhaled. “All done and good to go, I think. I’ll have the doctor speak with you, but you’ll mostly likely be able to leave even tonight if you wanted.”

“Thank you very much.”

“It was my pleasure, please.”

She patted his hand and then skipped to the door, pausing to regard Elarion one last time. “And I have to give a lot of the reason to...oh dear, what was your name, kind detective?”

He stood and quickly shook her hand, tipping his hat to him. “Pleasure was all mine. Elarion.”

Viren felt his hands go cold as he stared at ‘Elarion’s’ back and the door closed.

His words had been heavy. All the cases, all the private and sensitive information he’d been privy to, all the intimate knowledge of the police department, every single time they’d been close together in a dangerous a setting, and his declaration that he’d earn Viren’s trust.

All of that...and his name wasn’t even Elarion.


End file.
